Listening Carefully- Jake Hand

Over the past few years, I have started listening to music much more than I was before. Listening to music while doing any activity greatly increases my mood about the activity and helps me get more done. I think that for many people including myself, listening to music helps focus, relax, and complete a task. I listen to music nearly every day, anytime I have downtime or I have chores to complete. I find that anytime I am listening to music, there are endless choices and I am always finding new artists or songs that I like. Especially in my case, when I am doing something or learning about something I am not interested in I have a very small attention span to the topic. In many cases, I put on music very faintly in the background and it increases my focus greatly, and I am still able to take in the information I need.

A study from the University of Maryland Medical Center found that listening to music is an effective stress reliever. They also found that listening to music can decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety. While this impacts everyone differently I find this to be very true. I think that music is a great tool for students and workers to help them complete their jobs with focus and low stress.